Michelle Donelan, MP for Chippenham, believes she was bitten by a tick a week ago.

The 32-year-old said she ignored the resulting rash until she researched the symptoms after discussing the level of care for Lyme disease.

Ms Donelan told the Gazette Herald: “I knew that I wasn’t well, I had the rash for a week and it was getting worse but I thought nothing of it.

“On Friday I held my surgery and had a chap come in and he wanted to talk about level of care and Lyme disease.

“I did a bit of research on it and saw the symptoms and that’s how my rash looked.”

She posted on Facebook, she has been receiving treatment at Bath’s Royal United Hospital, joking that it “appears MP surgeries can help the MP too”.

UK news in pictures

1/30

8 July 2016

To mark exactly one month until Olympic Games and celebrate Usain Bolt’s 9.58 second 100m world record, Virgin Media has created an ambitious installation which transformed the River Thames into a 100m-long video screen, while the Eye itself became a giant stopwatch counting down Bolt’s time. Viewers within the London Eye were able to witness Bolt’s record-breaking speed, thanks to a 100m-long, floating screen stationed on the river beneath

2/30

7 July 2016

Home Secretary Theresa May makes a statement outside the Palace of Westminste, after she won 199 votes for the Conservative leadership

PA

3/30

6 July 2016

Relatives of military personnel killed during the Iraq War talk at a news conference after listening to Sir John Chilcot present The Iraq Inquiry Report at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster

Getty

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6 July 2016

Protesters dressed as former British prime minister Tony Blair hold a demonstration outside the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre as they wait for the release of the Chilcot Inquiry in London

EPA

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6 July 2016

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair responds to the Chilcot report

Getty Images

6/30

5 July 2016

Participants march in London as teachers across England stage a 24-hour strike in a long-running dispute with the Government over the “underfunding” of schools

7/30

4 July 2016

A remarkable twelve metre sand sculpture has been unveiled on the coast of Cornwall’s Porthminster Beach to celebrate the 10th annual Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project globally. In a bid to inspire the nation to keep Britain’s beaches ‘barefoot friendly’, the spectacular artwork has been created as part of the first ever World Beach Rescue Day (WBRD), a global initiative launching on 9 July pioneered by champions of cleaner beaches, Barefoot Wine

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3 July 2016

British Conservative party leadership candidate Andrea Leadsom arrives at the BBC television centre in London to appear on “The Andrew Marr Show” in London

AFP/Getty Images

9/30

2 July 2016

Tens of thousands of people march through central London in a ‘March For Europe Event’. The march is in protest at the result of the EU referendum

Getty Images

10/30

1 July 2016

Demonstrators chant as they wave underwear and placards with the words “Liar Liar Pants On Fire” written on them outside the home of former London Mayor Boris Johnson

Getty Images

11/30

30 June 2016

Justice Secretary and leading Brexit campaigner Michael Gove leaves his home in Kensington before announcing his intention to run to be the next Conservative Party leader and UK prime minister

Getty Images

12/30

29 June 2016

Spectators with umbrellas struggle against strong wind as stormy weather delays play at Wimbledon

REUTERS

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28 June 2016

A couple kiss outside the Houses of Parliament during a protest aimed at showing London’s solidarity with the European Union following the recent EU referendum

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28 June 2016

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27 June 2016

Opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves after addressing a gathering of supporters demonstrating in Parliament Square, in central London

REUTERS

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26 June 2016

A man dressed as Boris Johnson and Donald Trump prepare to take part in a tomato fight at the Glastonbury Festival 2016 at Worthy Farm

Getty Images

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26 June 2016

People walk over Westminster Bridge wrapped in Union flags in central London. Britain’s opposition Labour party plunged into turmoil and the prospect of Scottish independence drew closer, ahead of a showdown with EU leaders over the country’s seismic vote to leave the bloc

AFP/Getty Images

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25 June 2016

People pay tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting as they take part in the annual Pride London Parade which highlights issues of the gay, lesbian and transgender community, in London

REUTERS

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25 June 2016

Scotland’s First Minister and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Nicola Sturgeon, addresses the media after holding an emergency Cabinet meeting at Bute House in Edinburgh, following the pro-Brexit result of the UK’s EU referendum vote

AFP/Getty Images

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24 June 2016

A man carries a EU flag, after Britain voted to leave the European Union, outside Downing Street in London

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23 June 2016

AFP/Getty Images

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22 June 2016

British Prime Minister David Cameron poses for a photograph after addressing pro-EU “Vote Remain” supporters at rally in Bristol, whilst campaigning to avoid a Brexit, ahead of the 23 June EU referendum

AFP/Getty Images

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21 June 2016

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson (left) and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speak during the EU debate at Wembley Arena in London

Getty Images

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20 June 2016

A full moon rises behind Glastonbury Tor as people gather to celebrate the summer solstice in Somerse

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19 June 2016

Hot air balloons took to the air as part of the annual Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta, a charity event in aid of the Lord Mayor’s Fund, in London

Getty Images

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19 June 2016

Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron (C) poses with supporters after arriving in the Liberal Democrat Vote Remain campaign bus, campaigning to avoid a Brexit in the EU referendum, during a launch event in east London

AFP/Getty Images

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18 June 2016

A man lights a flare among pro-refugee activists rallying outside the French Embassy in central London, during a protest after most of an aid convoy of vehicles organised by campaign groups heading to northern France were turned back at the French frontier at the port of Dover

AFP/Getty Images

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17 June 2016

Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn arrive to pay their respects at the scene where Jo Cox was shot in Birstall

Getty Images

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16 June 2016

Floral tributes and candles are placed by a picture of slain Labour MP Jo Cox at a vigil in Parliament square in London. Cox died after a shock daylight street attack, throwing campaigning for the referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union into disarray just a week before the crucial vote

AFP

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15 June 2016

Boats from the ‘Fishing for Leave’ campaign group join a flotilla along the Thames River in London. The flotilla organised by members of the Fishing for Leave group, who are campaigning to leave the European Union ahead of the referendum on the 23 of June, was countered by boats representing the ‘In’ campaign

Getty Images

Lyme disease is contracted when infected ticks attach themselves to people, biting them and transferring a bacterial infection – Lyme disease – into the blood stream.

The illness causes flu-like symptoms, neurological damage and fatigue. It can also cause muscle and joint pain.

She added: “I had a bullseye mark half the size of my arm and that’s when I knew what it was.

“I was quite lucky, as if you don’t get it really early it can damage your nerves and can eventually lead to death.”

Health news in pictures

1/25

Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts

The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide

Getty

2/25

‘Universal cancer vaccine’ breakthrough claimed by experts

Scientists have taken a “very positive step” towards creating a universal vaccine against cancer that makes the body’s immune system attack tumours as if they were a virus, experts have said. Writing in Nature, an international team of researchers described how they had taken pieces of cancer’s genetic RNA code, put them into tiny nanoparticles of fat and then injected the mixture into the bloodstreams of three patients in the advanced stages of the disease. The patients’ immune systems responded by producing “killer” T-cells designed to attack cancer. The vaccine was also found to be effective in fighting “aggressively growing” tumours in mice, according to researchers, who were led by Professor Ugur Sahin from Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany

Rex Features

3/25

Green tea could be used to treat brain issues caused by Down’s Syndrome

A compound found in green tea could improve the cognitive abilities of those with Down’s syndrome, a team of scientists has discovered. Researchers found epigallocatechin gallate – which is especially present in green tea but can also be found in white and black teas – combined with cognitive stimulation, improved visual memory and led to more adaptive behaviour. Dr Rafael de la Torre, who led the year-long clinical trial along with Dr Mara Dierrssen, said: “The results suggest that individuals who received treatment with the green tea compound, together with the cognitive stimulation protocol, had better scores in their cognitive capacities”

4/25

New online test predicts skin cancer risk

Health experts have created a new online tool which can predict a person’s risk of developing a common form of skin cancer. The tool uses the results of a 10-question-quiz to estimate the chance of a person aged 40 or over of having non-melanoma skin cancers within three years. Factors including the age, gender, smoking status, skin colour, tanning ability, freckling tendency, and other aspects of medical history are covered by the quiz

5/25

Multiple Sclerosis stem cell treatment ‘helps patients walk again’

A new treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) has enabled some patients to walk again by “rebooting” their immune systems. As part of a clinical trial at Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital involving around 20 patients, scientists used stem cells to carry out a bone marrow transplant. The method known as an autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) works by using chemotherapy to destroy the area of the immune system which causes MS

Rex Features

6/25

Dementia patients left without painkillers and handcuffed to bed

Dementia patients experience a ‘shocking’ variation in the quality of hospital care they receive across England, a charity has warned. Staff using excessive force and not giving dementia patients the correct pain medication were among the findings outlined in a new report by The Alzheimer’s Society, to coincide with the launch of Fix Dementia Care campaign

Rex Features

7/25

Cancer risk ‘increased’ by drinking more than one glass of wine or pint of beer per day

Drinking more than one glass of wine or pint of beer a day increases the risk of developing cancer, according to medical experts. New guidelines for alcohol consumption by the UK published by chief medical officers warn that drinking any level of alcohol has been linked to a range of different cancers. The evidence from the Committee on Carcinogenicity (COC) overturns the oft-held view that a glass of red wine can have significant medical benefits for both men and women

8/25

Vaping ‘no better’ than smoking regular cigarettes

Vaping could be “no better” than smoking regular cigarettes and may be linked to cancer, scientists have found. The study which showed that vapour from e-cigarettes can damage or kill human cells was publsihed as the devices are to be rolled out by UK public health officials as an aid to quit smoking from 2016. An estimated 2.6 million people in the UK currently use e-cigarettes

9/25

Rat-bite fever

A teenager was hospitalised and left unable to move after she developed the rare rat-bite fever disease from her pet rodents which lived in her bedroom. The teenager, who has not been named, was taken to hospital after she complained of a pain in her right hip and lower back which later made her immobile, according to the online medical journal BMJ Case Reports. She suffered for two weeks with an intermittent fever, nausea and vomiting and had a pink rash on her hands and feet. The teenager, who had numerous pets including a dog, cat, horse and three pet rats, has since made a full recovery after undergoing a course of antibiotics. Blood tests showed that she was infected with for streptobacillus moniliformis – the most common cause of rat-bite fever. One of her three pet rats lay dead in her room for three weeks before her symptoms showed

10/25

Taking antidepressants in pregnancy ‘could double the risk of autism in toddlers’

Taking antidepressants during pregnancy could almost double the risk of a child being diagnosed with autism in the first years of life, a major study of nearly 150,000 pregnancies has suggested. Researchers have found a link between women in the later stages of pregnancy who were prescribed one of the most common types of antidepressant drugs, and autism diagnosed in children under seven years of age

11/25

Warning over Calpol

Parents have been warned that giving children paracetamol-based medicines such as Calpol and Disprol too often could lead to serious health issues later in life. Leading paediatrician and professor of general paediatrics at University College London, Alastair Sutcliffe, said parents were overusing paracetamol to treat mild fevers. As a result, the risk of developing asthma, as well as kidney, heart and liver damage is heightened

12/25

Fat loss from pancreas ‘can reverse’ effects of type-2 diabetes

Less than half a teaspoon of fat is all that it takes to turn someone into a type-2 diabetic according to a study that could overturn conventional wisdom on a disease affecting nearly 3 million people in Britain. Researchers have found it is not so much the overall body fat that is important in determining the onset of type-2 diabetes but the small amount of fat deposited in the pancreas, the endocrine organ responsible for insulin production

13/25

Potatoes reduce risk of stomach cancer

Scientists have found people who eat large amounts of white vegetables were a third less likely to contract stomach cancer. The study, undertaken by Chinese scientists at Zhejiang University, found eating cauliflower, potatoes and onions reduces the chance of contracting stomach cancer but that beer, spirits, salt and preserved foods increased a person’s risk of the cancer

14/25

Connections between brain cells destroyed in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease

Scientists have pinpointed how connections in the brain are destroyed in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, in a study which it is hoped will help in the development of treatments for the debilitating condition. At the early stages of the development of Alzheimer’s disease the synapses – which connect the neurons in the brain – are destroyed, according to researchers at the University of New South Wales, Australia. The synapses are vital for brain function, particularly learning and forming memories

15/25

Sugar tax

The Government should introduce a sugar tax to prevent an “obesity crisis” from crippling the NHS, a senior Conservative MP and former health minister has said. Dr Dan Poulter believes that the case for increased taxes on unhealthy sugary products was “increasingly compelling”

PA

16/25

A potentially “phenomenal” scientific breakthrough has offered fresh hope to cancer patients rendered infertile by chemotherapy. For the first time, researchers managed to restore ovaries in mice affected by chemotherapy so that they were able to have offspring. The scientists now plan to begin clinical trials to see if the technique, which involves the use of stem cells, will also work in humans by using umbilical cord material and possibly stem cells taken from human embryos, if regulators agree

17/25

Take this NHS test to find out if you have a cancerous mole

An interactive test could help flag up whether you should seek advice from a health professional for one of the most common types of cancer. The test is available on the NHS Choices website and reveals whether you are at risk from the disease and recommends if you should seek help. The mole self-assessment factors in elements such as complexion, the number of times you have been severely sunburnt and whether skin cancer runs in your family. It also quizzes you on the number of moles you have and whether there have been any changes in appearance regarding size, shape and colour

18/25

Health apps approved by NHS ‘may put users at risk of identity theft’

Experts have warned that some apps do not adequately protect personal information

19/25

A watchdog has said that care visits must last longer

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said home help visits of less than 30 minutes were not acceptable unless part of a wider package of support

20/25

Pendle in Lancashire tops list of five most anxious places to live in the UK

Pendle in Lancashire has been named the most anxious place to live in the UK, while people living in Fermanagh and Omagh in Northern Ireland have been found to be the happiest

21/25

Ketamine could be used as anti-depressant

Researchers at the University of Auckland said monitoring the effects of the drug on the brain has revealed neural pathways that could aid the development of fast-acting medications.
Ketamine is a synthetic compound used as an off anaesthetic and analgesic drug, but is commonly used illegally as a hallucinogenic party drug.
Dr Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, a senior researcher at the university and a member of the institution’s Centre for Brain Research, used the latest technology in brain imaging to investigate what mechanisms ketamine uses to be active in the human brain

22/25

A prosthetic hand that lets people actually feel through

The technology lets paralysed people feel actual sensations when touching objects — including light taps on the mechanical finger — and could be a huge breakthrough for prosthetics, according to its makers. The tool was used to let a 28-year-old man who has been paralysed for more than a decade. While prosthetics have previously been able to be controlled directly from the brain, it is the first time that signals have been successfully sent the other way

23/25

The biggest cause of early death in the world is what you eat

Unhealthy eating has been named as the most common cause of premature death around the globe, new data has revealed. A poor diet – which involves eating too few vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains and too much red meat, salt and sugar – was shown to be a bigger killer than smoking and alcohol

24/25

Scientists develop blood test that estimates how quickly people age

Scientists believe it could be used to predict a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease as well as the “youthfulness” of donated organs for transplant operations. The test measures the vitality of certain genes which the researchers believe is an accurate indication of a person’s “biological age”, which may be younger or older than their actual chronological age

25/25

Aspirin could help boost therapies that fight cancer

The latest therapies that fight cancer could work better when combined with aspirin, research has suggested. Scientists from the Francis Crick Institute in London say the anti-inflammatory pain killer suppresses a cancer molecule that allows tumours to evade the body’s immune defences.
Laboratory tests have shown that skin, breast and bowel cancer cells often generate large amounts of this molecule, called prostaglandin E2 (PGE2).
But Aspirin is one of a family of drugs that sends messages to the brain to block production of PGE2 and this means cancer cells can be attacked by the body’s natural defences

According to Public Health England, there are around 3,000 new cases of Lyme Disease each year in the UK.

The number of diagnosed cases have quadrupled over the last 12 years.

Ms Donelan said of her current condition:”I feel absolutely terrible, i’m suffering from severe tiredness and feeling sick, it’s not just the rash but hopefully the antibiotics will kick in.

“It’s lucky I had the rash though otherwise I wouldn’t have realised that I had been bitten. I’m going to carry on working although I feel like I have been run over by a bus.”